Bella Blvd Studio Blog

Oh Happy Day - A Mini Album Share

Today, we have another gorgeous mini album to share with you.

"Oh Happy Day" mini album, by Wendy Morris.

I was so inspired with this mini for many reasons - mainly for the sunshine & happiness in my life - positive vibes, beautiful memories, the everyday, changes, and very exciting plans for the future. All of the Bella Blvd collections are full of color and fun flair and were the perfect palette for developing the title and theme of my mini, "Oh Happy Day". I used many printed papers from old & new Bella Blvd collections - just shows how the mix of Bella Blvd flows so well to mix & match across the color palette of collections. 

Be sure to check out my blog for even move peeks into this mini.

The base of the mini is composed of Zutter corrugated board and bound with the Zutter Bind-It-All with some distressing with the Zutter Distrezz-It-All.

Lovin' the sweet & fun buttons also from the Winter 2012 release.

On the page ("hello sun shine"), I drew into more details on this paper with much love for the hot air balloons and adding in some stamped hot air balloons, Bella Blvd Ciao Chip Clouds, sun, and Bella Blvd Icons.

The Miniatures are just the perfect splash also for mini projects - I worked these in on the page "Sledding Adventures".

What's not to love about the fun flags also from the Winter 2012 release? The sweet pearl on the head of the flag, just the perfect touch! 

The High Five Alphas from Bella are still my fav crush from the Winter 2012 release.  I would take 20 sheets of each and use them all, seriously. They are perfect for mini projects, cards, ATCs, etc.  I used them on the cover ("Oh Happy Day") for the title as well as throughout the mini.

Used my vintage typewriter for quick journaling here & there.

Scraps of paper I used with my punches (i.e. blow off the dust from your punches) along with and torn border stickers to make sweet borders under my pics.

Designer tapes are the perfect vintage flair to work with your mini prints (i.e. Instagram photos).

Supplies:
Sunshine & Happiness: Icons; Spring Flings & Easter Things: Egg Hunt; Sunny Happy Skies: Magic in the Sky, Alpha+Bits; Winter Wonder: Miniatures; Family Dynamix: Quadrants, Game Night; Mr. Boy: Borders N' Blocks; Christmas Wishes: Quadrants; Estate Sale: Bits-A-Bella; All Inclusive: Bookin' on the Beach; Super Stud: Bits-A-Bella; Hello Beautiful: Just Because, Thanks a Bunch; Flirty: Bits-A-Bella, Label Additions; Midterm: Text Me; Socialite: Cute Cuts; Simply Simona Alphabets & Numbers: White; Ciao Chip Versatile Elements: Clouds; Ciao Chip Essentials:  Peep & McIntosh, Oyster & Oreo, Asparagus & Pickle Juice; Designer Tapes: Teal Stripe, Pink Stripe, Red Dot, Yellow Chevron; Flags: Sunshine & Happiness, Fall; High Five Alphabets: Yellow, Blue, Pink-Red; Button Market: Snowflakes, Stars

Sunshine & Happiness Mini Albums

Today, we have another mini album to share with you. I just love how Designer Gretchen McElveen, used the Sunshine & Happiness collection, to create this fun Disney themed mini album!

"We Love Disney" mini album, by Gretchen McElveen.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I have to confess ... I am not much of a mini album maker. I feel like they take me much longer they should! BUT, whenever I do get around to making one, I usually like the end result. Like this one! I am quite proud of this Disney mini made with the Sunshine & Happiness line. Yep! It's a Disney album with very non-Disney products! You gotta love products with such versatility!

To make this mini album, I actually cut a sheet of 12x12 chipboard into 4x6 pieces. I covered the chipboard pages with patterned paper and then sanded the edges well. Sanding the edges gets rid of any excess paper over the edge of the chipboard and just helps the edges look smoother and neater. To bring a little "Disney" into the album I punched black cardstock with a Mickey ears punch (from EK Success) and added one "Mickey" to each page of the album. With a "Mickey" on each page, I hoped to add some consistency and flow throughout the album.

Supplies:
Sunshine and Happiness: Petal Power, Sunny Side Up, Play Date, Popsicle Kisses, Happy Clouds, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha + Bits Stickers, Miniatures Stickers

Sunshine & Happiness: Altered Projects & Mini Albums

Happy Monday everyone! Today, we have a post filled with Sunshine & Happiness, which is what we also hope your weekend was filled with! We have a couple of altered projects to share, along with a couple of mini albums. All featuring the Sunshine & Happiness collection!

Altered Jars, by Suzanne Sergi.

I altered this garden container with the Sunshine & Happiness collection. A different packaging idea to tuck in treats to a friend, neighbor, teacher, or a family member. I covered the outside with a variety of the papers, and use one of the border stickers to layer along the bottom. Inside the container I filled two mason jars with bright gum balls. On the top of the lids, embellished each of them with one of the azzini blooms. Across the top, I created a butterfly banner for a fun detail. Finished one of the handles with a tag, and big red bow. This will be sure to brighten anyone's day!

Supplies:
Sunshine &Happiness: Petal Power, Sunny Side Up, Popsicle Kisses, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Miniature Stickers, Flags; Baby Blooms-A-Bella: Azzini

"Summer Time" mini album, by Suzanne Sergi.

The Sunshine & Happiness collection is a bold, and bright collection, that it pairs fabulous with summer photos! I decided to create a small mini of my little girl enjoying the day at a water resort. I love these photos, because it shows how much she loves playing in the water. I created a sun for the cover of the mini, and use various patterned papers to accent the rays of the sun. A few chipboard elements were used for the center, and for the title of the mini. I am loving the new flags that were introduced by Bella at CHA, and use one on the cover as a fun detail. This mini is a mix of different pages in different sizes, and shapes. A fun mini filled with Bella's whimsical patterns, and bold embellishments.

Supplies:
Sunshine & Happiness: Petal Power, Sunny Side Up, Juicy Good Time, Popsicle Kisses, Happy Clouds, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Spring Flings & Easter Things: Sunny Sunday, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Button Market: Masculine Mix; Flags: Summer; Designer Tape: Yellow Chevron, Red Dot, Pickle Juice Dot; Ciao Chip Versatile Elements: Stars & Hearts, Clouds; Simply Simona Chipboard Alphabets & Numbers: Saltwater, Orange; High Five Alpha Stickers: Blue

Altered Mailbox & Notecard Set, by Beth Gerlach.

This was such a quick and easy, yet cute little project. I was given the mailbox and  I made 12 little notes that fit inside a little custom box perfectly. I thought it would make a nice little gift. I used Sunshine and happiness (pretty much every pattern) and the sunshine and happiness chip along with the Alpha+Bits stickers and some of those super cute crochet flowers which I just love! I did add a splash of bling, because that's my signature!

Supplies:
Sunshine & Happiness: Sunny Side Up, Petal Power, Popsicle Kisses, Happy Clouds, Play Date, Miniatures Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Button Market: Pink Flowers

"Yoga Camp" mini album, by Kimberly Neddo.

For this Mini Album, I chose to cover each side of the chipboard with paper. I used Mod podge and my briar roller to secure it down well. From there, I decorated each page a little differently with the beautiful patterned papers and embellishments from the Sunshine and Happiness line and the High Five Alphabets. I used a lot of pop dots for dimension through out this little book. I’ve been wanting to do something special with Olivia’s Yoga camp pictures, and this was just the perfect way to showcase them and I really love how it turned out.

Supplies:
Sunshine & Happiness: Sunny Side Up, Petal Power, Popsicle Kisses, Happy Clouds, Play Date, Miniatures Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Ciao Chip: Trees, Stars & Hearts; Flags: Vacation; Crochet Flowers: Poppy

Altered Project Shares

Today, we have some new altered projects to share with you, along with a cute little mini album. It just so happen, that everyone was drawn to the new Baby Boy and Baby Girl collections, when they went to work on this week's projects. We hope you enjoy these great baby themed projects, any of which would be great for baby shower gifts!

Altered Baby Frame, by Marie-Josée Hamel.
Photographer: Annie B Studio

When I saw this four-picture frame, I knew it would be perfect for the new Bella Blvd baby collections. I decided to put only one picture in the frame and decorate the rest. First, I adhered paper strips around two of the smaller frames and decorated them with corner stickers (Alpha+Bits stickers). I then cut a piece of paper the same size as the center of my frame and added a chipboard accent. 

I also wanted to add tridimensional elements, such as chipboard, twine and crochet flowers. However, since there was not enough space to put them under the glass, I put all the embellishments right on the frame and onto the glass. I then cut three 4 x 6 pieces of paper and decorated them using sitckers. Tip: Use tape to adhered the pieces of paper and/or pictures to the glass to ensure they don't move.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: Baby Blue, Wild About You, On the Go, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Chipboard Icons, Flags; Designer Tape: Teal Stripe; Crochet Flowers: Juniper

Baby Girl Diaper Cake, by Jennifer Edwardson.

I'd heard of these cakes but had never seen one before, so it was fun to create this 'sight unseen' if you will. It had been many years since I'd purchased a bag of newborn diapers, but I was excited to get started!

First, I cut (2) different sized circles from heavyweight cardstock and covered each with 'snuggly safari' and lightly sanded the edges. These became the based to build the cake onto.

Then I wrapped each diaper with fishing line and tied them tight so not to slip. Once I had them set onto the bases I tied the entire section again with fishing line.

I then chose a couple of border strips, cut them out, sanded the edges and adhered them together at ONE end. Once dry, I wrapped them around the diaper layers to cover the fishing line. Because I chose to make larger 'cake pieces', these did not meet in the center which gave me the perfect spot to add embellishment.

I precison cut some adorable shapres from the 'cute cuts' and adhered them to the front of both layers. I used a journal card to give this cake a title to welcome baby alayna and added a chip flower and some sweet flags too!

Supplies:
Baby Girl: Snuggly Safari, Borders, Cute Cuts, Miniatures Stickers, Flags

Baby Girl Mobile, by Jennifer Edwardson.

As soon as I got to sit down and play with the Baby Girl Collection I was immediately drawn to the fantastic shapes in both the Cute Cuts and the Chpboard Icons. I knew exactly what I wanted to try and create with these great pieces.

I chose a few strips from the borders sheet and sanded the edges, then adhered them together, slightly overlapping each. Once these were secure, I wrapped this whole piece around to form a circle and adhered again. I then punched (3) small holes in this piece and tied thin fishing line through each hole to create the 'hanger'.

I punched (4) holes in the bottom of this circle and added strings of different lengths using the fishing line. I punched several circles from 'pretty in pink' as well as precision cut from the 'cute cuts' paper. I punched small holes in each of these pieces and threaded then on to the fhishing line. The circles had an additional circle added to the back to keep them from shifting.

I tied 'pink flowers' buttons on the bottom to give each line weight and added a few 'miniatures' stickers to come of the circles as well! This is going to look so sweet in 'baby alayna's' room in just a few short weeks!

Supplies:
Baby Girl: Petty In Pink, Borders, Cute Cuts, Chipboard Icons, Miniatures Stickers

"Our Baby Girl" mini album, by Becky Williams.
{A Winter CHA Project}

For this mini I decided to make it a birth through first year so I included a picture from each month of her life so far. I started with cardstock cut to 12 x 6 and scored at the 4 inch mark giving me a tri-fold piece that I put together with two other such strips. I added the patterned paper backgrounds and then used some of the Designer Tapes on the edges, then added some pictures and stickers. 

Supplies:
Baby Girl: It's a Girl, Borders, Daddy's Girl, Pretty in Pink, Cute Cuts, Snuggly Safari, Sweet Dreams, Ciao Chip; We're Expecting: Miniatures Stickers, Ciao Chip; Designer Tape: Blue Gingham, Pickle Juice Dot, Yellow Chevron, Pink Stripe, Red Dot; Crochet Flowers: Daisies, Dahlia; High Five Alphabet Stickers: Green, Blue, Yellow, Black-White, Pink-Red

Altered Easter Projects

Easter is almost here! If you're anything like me, and you havn't thought about any Easter treats or Easter decor yet, then you'll want to check out today's projects. I asked our Altered Project Designers to create some fun Easter projects, focusing on the Spring Flings & Easter Things collection. And we rounded out the day, with a Spring Flings & Easter Things mini album, to document all of the Easter festivities.

Altered Easter Bucket, by Suzanne Sergi.

I loved revisiting the clear paint bucket. They are wonderful to tuck in treats, and small gifts. I thought this would be a great gift for a teacher, or neighbor. I used the Spring Flings collection to add festive Easter touches. I used the blue chevron to wrap the bottom, and a simple border from the border sheet with the perfect Easter sentiment. I added glitter to the chipboard bunny, and the border sheet for extra sparkle. Then using one of my favorite new releases from Bella was the yellow chevron tape. I used it to accent the lid of the bucket, and randomly on the sides.

Supplies:
Spring Flings & Easter Things: Egg Hunt, Borders, Cute Cuts, Miniatures, Chipboard Icons; Sunshine & Happiness: Sunny Side Up; Crochet Flowers: Daises; Designer Tape: Yellow Chevron

Altered Easter House, by Marie-Josée Hamel.

To create this project, I bought this tiny wooden house at a crafts store. I painted it with green paint and adhered paper to it using Mod Podge. I then cut rabbits, chicks and eggs out of the Egg Hunt paper and adhered them to the house using pop dots, to create dimension. I also used a bit of Spanish moss to create little nests for the eggs that I adhered to the house using Mod Podge.

Supplies:
Spring Flings and Easter Things: Egg Hunt, Sunny Sunday, Borders Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits, Miniatures

Easter Treat Boxes, by Jennifer Edwardson.

Most holidays you will find me up until the wee hours the evening before putting last minutes touches on projects for the kids. But not this Easter! I am so excited that I got a head start on these fun gifts for my kids. 

Emma and Alex will see these fun boxes when they sit down to Easter breakfast this weekend! I used a box template to create the base and then added bits of patterned paper from Spring Flings & Easter Things.

Once the base was complete, I added precision cut pieces, stickers and chip alphas to embellish. I finished them off with crinkle cut paper in the bottom before filling each box with chocolate treats too!!

Altered Easter Gift Tins, by Jennifer Edwardson.

I am that girl who scoops up all the super savings in the days after a holiday. I love collecting pieces that I can turn into something else and tucking them away until the following year. That is exactly what I did with these gift card tins. 

My children are at ages where they LOVE to get gift cards so these are perfect for a little something special from Mommy and Daddy on Easter morning.

I liked the silver on the bottom but really needed to re-do the lid! I wrapped a pattern strip around the edge and added another pattern on top. I sanded all the edges first and then 'scrapbooked' the top using stickers, ribbon, flags, twine and a crochet flower too!

Easter Napkin Rings, by Jennifer Edwardson.

I like to add a bit of color to the dinner table on holidays but didn't want to create place cards for a small group so I decided to whip up these fun little napkin rings instead! I used a strip of patterned paper, border punched the edge and added precision cut shapes and stickers to the top to pretty them up. A very quick, easy and super cute way to use up your leftover bits from other projects!

Supplies:
Spring Flings and Easter Things; egg hunt, mom's bouquet, borders, cute cuts, alphas & bits, miniatures and flags. Ciao Chip; Simply Simona Saltwater. Sunshine & Happiness; happy clouds. Crochet Flowers; Dahlia

"Spring Spectacular" mini album, by Suzanne Sergi.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I paired the Spring Flings and Easter Things Collection with a 6x6 chipboard binder. This mini book has a linen spine, and thought it was perfect for everything spring! I am from Texas, so most holidays are spent without my family. However, about four years ago we were able to celebrate the arrival of Easter together. There is nothing better than Easter in Texas! I captured a few photos documenting our favorite Easter traditions: Easter Baskets, Easter Eggs, the Golden Egg, and we cannot have a party without a bit of confetti thrown in! So glad to have this day to reflect, and to realize how lucky we are to have one another, no matter the distance between us.

Supplies:
Spring Flings & Easter Things: Egg Hunt, A Tisket A Tasket, Mom's Bouquet, Sunny Sunday, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Wrote Journaling Stickers, Miniatures; Baby Girl: Flags

Baby Girl Altered Projects & A Mini Album

We ended up with an abundance of CHA projects, featuring the Baby Girl collection, that we havn't had time to share on the blog yet. So, today and tomorrow, will be all about baby girls!

"Baby Girl" altered blocks, by Beth Gerlach.

My original thought was to make regular baby blocks using the new Baby Girl line, but I wanted to think of something clever to display them. I covered each side of the blocks (purchased at The Scrapbook Store) with different patterned papers and pictures, then drilled a hole in each one. I embellished each block with dfferent Bella product and pictures. I then threaded each block onto ribbon, seperating each by knots. Since I wanted to be able to spin the blocks, I made the holes about 1/4". I then knotted the end until the knot was larger than the bottom hole so it would stay secure since the blocks were quite heavy. I cut strips of ribbons and tied them in-between block to add a little frill.

Supplies:
Baby Girl: It's A Girl, Pretty In Pink, Snuggly Safari, Sweet Dreams, Cute Cuts, Alpha's+Bits Stickers, Miniature Stickers, Flags; Crochet Flowers

Baby Girl Gift Pail, by Therese Hennessy.
{A Winter CHA Project}

Need a unique way to present a baby gift or any gift using Bella Blvd products? This is a fun and creative idea using a clear pail and adorable paper and ribbons. Punch out scallop circles for the top and a big flower to tie around the pail. What you put inside will show through – and they can use the pail after for cute little items to store. Your imagination can go far with this project … birthday, teacher gifts, Christmas, you get the idea!                    

Supplies:
Baby Girl: It’s A Girl, Daddy’s Girl, Sweet Dreams; We’re Expecting: Coming Soon

"It's A Girl" banner, by Sheri Feypel.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I love the Baby Girl collection and hardly ever get to play with pink being the Mom of boys. I went a little crazy with all of the elements of the Baby Girl line, adding stickers and flags as well as lots of pattern. I made the banner flags look sort of like pockets and folded the tops of each over the ribbon holding the banner together.

Supplies:
Baby Girl: It's A Girl, Pretty In Pink, Snuggly Safari, Sweet Dreams, Cute Cuts, Alpha's+Bits Stickers, Miniature Stickers, Flags; Button Market: Pickle Squares

"Baby Lauren" mini album, by Stephanie Hunt.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I just love creating mini books. This album is a basic chipboard, tabbed album from Maya Road with key-ring binding. I distressed the edges of just about everything throughout the entire mini that documents the day that my niece, baby Lauren, was born. A couple of the details (like her statistics) still need to be filled in, but other than that it's completed. I wanted the mini to be simple and sophisticated, really displaying photographs against the soft hues of the Baby Girl collection. I love, as time passes, how previous this mini album will become. It's always bittersweet to look back on how teeny tiny babies were when they just arrived. ;)

Supplies:
Baby Girl: It's A Girl, Pretty In Pink, Daddy's Girl, Snuggly Safari, Baby Cakes, Sweet Dreams, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits, Just Write Journaling, Miniatures Stickers; Sophisticates: Pink-Red High Five Alphabets, Saltwater chipboard alphabets; Designer Tapes: Pink Stripe, Pink Flowers; Crochet Flowers: Poppy

Spring Mini Albums

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. Today, we have two Spring themed mini albums to share with you. Both of them feature the Spring Flings & Easter Things collection.

"This Life" mini album, by Wendy Morris.

Spring is in the air to bring a new-ness to the day, to the season, reflection, change, and growth. In this mini book (made by Want2Scrap), I reflected on these bits & pieces of Spring to capture "this life", this moment in my life. A season to reflect on change, new happenings buzzing, and the blooming of a new life. So, this was my inspiration in putting together this project. Butterflies were my focal inspiration throughout the book - change, transformation of the soul, growth - so you will see them sprinkled here & there as this play on repetition and meaning throughout the book. We are all unique, in different cultures, but like a butterfly we change but are beautiful in our own unique way. Also, always remembering to enjoy life, enjoy today, have adventures, and experience love.

Be sure to check out my blog to see even more details and photos of my mini album.

I cut out the rainbow from the Cute Cuts paper (from the Hello Beautiful collection), mounted it on pop dots, and used as an accent on my tag. I added in a few clear pebbles as accents for "raindrops".

For the quote under my photo on the glitter page, I used the quote from the Alpha+Bits sticker sheet (from the Socialite collection) and cut off the top part of the sticker referring to the new year to made it work for this book in a different way. This is a neat way to stretch your product beyond the theme of the paper collection.

I used a few Ciao Chip chipboard clouds as accents on this manilla tag, along with a stamped airplane. I mounted the word "GO" on top of the clouds as a bit of added dimension.

I used the new High Five Alphabets, and addd them directly to my photo. These alphabets are the perfect size for mini projects.  

The new Designer Tapes are the perfect accent to highlight Instagram or TTV photos.

On one of the Spring Fling cards, I used the new Button Market buttons as a sweet flower to highlight the flowers in the corner of the card insert.

On the back of one manila tag, I stamped randomly with various floral stamps, including the Flirty clear stamp set. This was a neat touch for a "doodling" effect. Then, I added in an extra punch with some colorful Baby Blooms a Bella for dimension and color.

On the last page in the book, I cut out the butterfly from the Cut Cuts paper (from the Hello Beautiful collection), stamped with a large script background stamp, cut the butterfly in half, and adhered off to the side of the page.  Stamping is a neat way to jazz up a rather plain cutout. Also, on this page, I randomly played in a mix of chipboard, wood, glitter and clear acrylic butterflies for a nice medley to accent the play on butterflies throughout the book.

Supplies:
Spring Flings & Easter Things: Cute Cuts, Egg Hunt, Borders, A Tisket A Tasket, Mom's Bouquet, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Sunny Happy Skies: Sugar Patch; Lovey Dovey: Love Is In the Air; Mr. Boy: Connect the Dots; Hello Beautiful: Cute Cuts; Socialite: Alpha+Bits Stickers; Swing Into Spring: April Showers; Estate Sale: Belveder; Chipboard Alphabet; Baby Blooms a Bella: Rossini, Azzini; Ciao Chip Versatile Elements: Clouds; Designer Tapes: Teal Stripe; Sophisticates Chip Essentials: Apricot & Banana; High Five Alphabets: Yellow; Button Market: Fruit Punch, Pink Flowers; Stamps: Flirty

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"Spring" mini album, by Kathy Martin.
{A Winter CHA Project}

It's spring, my favorite time of the year! There's so much to love about this season and there's no better collection than Spring Flings & Easter Things from Bella Blvd. to document all things spring! The colors, designs and accents are ideal for Mother's Day and Easter to April showers and May flowers! Instead of using a pre-made album I simply cut some 8 1/2" x 11" heavy white card stock in half and added the punched holes for binder clips.

Supplies:
Spring Flings & Easter Things: Egg Hunt, A Tisket A Tasket, Sunny Sunday, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures Stickers, Flags; Button Market: Red Flowers; High Five Alpha Stickers: Pink/Red, Green; We’re Expecting: Miniatures

Baby Boy Project Inspiration

Stephanie is away this week, traveling to an event, so she will be skipping a few of her Friday posts until she returns. In the meantime, we still have lots of CHA projects to share with you. How about we start with some Baby Boy projects!

"Dream" altered wood tray, by Suzanne Sergi.
{A Winter CHA Project}

The inspiration for this project came from the tray itself. I was drawn to the grey hue, that matched perfectly with the grey in the Baby Boy Collection. I knew this would be perfect sitting on top of a dresser. A wonderful touch to a baby's nursery.

I layered different patterns of paper to the left side of the tray, nestled near the large photo of my sweet son. I wanted this project to have soft layers throughout, so I changed the photo from color, to black and white. The vellum, and white felt clouds were the soft details added to the project.

I did find this wonderful wood word that I painted with white acrylic paint. I had to include the whimsical chipboard lion to the letter "o", in the word dream. It was perfect for bringing out a bit of color on this tray.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: It's A Boy, Baby Blue, Momma's Boy, Heaven Sent, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Chipboard Icons, Flags

Baby Boy Altered Printers Tray, by Beth Gerlach.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I've made a couple of these trays for baby gifts, leaving room for pictures to be added later. Everyone just loves them! I used a 7 Gypsy printers tray, with 12 slots. For this tray I used the Bella Baby Boy collection to create this Baby's First Year project, with a photo added from each month of the baby's first year. Bella's collections go perfectly with the white trays. These pictures are of my nephew, Ean's, first year. 

Supplies: 
Baby boy: It's a Boy, Borders, Wild About You, Momma's Boy, Heaven Sent, On the Go, Baby Blue, Ciao Chip Icons, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Miniatures Stickers, Flags; Designer Tape: Teal Stripe, Blue Gingham 

"Pieces Of You" mini album, by Diane Payne.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I really enjoyed putting together this mini album of my son when he was a baby. He was just a week old in these photos and is now 16 and driving so it was fun reminiscing. For the cover of the mini album I hung the chipboard onesie and stickers to mimic a clothesline, finishing it off with the new buttons from Button Market.

To tie it all together I punched a hole in the corner of each page and secured them with a binder ring. For the finishing touch I hung the chipboard rattle and diaper from the ring and tied coordinating ribbon in between.

For the inside pages, I used the word and phrase stickers to capture thoughts and sentiments that go along with baby photos perfectly making it a snap to complete the inside pages.

Supplies:
Baby Boy; It's a Boy, Borders, Wild About You, Momma's Boy, Heaven Sent, On the Go, Baby Blue, Ciao Chip Icons, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Miniatures Stickers; Button Market: Masculine Mix, Bursts, Tie Dye; Designer Tape: Teal Stripe

Baby Girl Inspiration

We are back today, to share some more of our Winter CHA projects with you. We hope you enjoyed the Baby Boy projects that we shared on Thursday. The great thing about these baby collections, is that the project ideas can really be used with either collection. Baby Boy and Baby Girl have many of the same pieces, just in different colors and patterns. So if you see a baby boy project that you really love, I am willing to bet that you could easily turn that same idea into a baby girl project! Today's projects, which are all about the Baby Girl collection!

"Beautiful Baby Girl", by Megan Klauer.
{A Winter CHA Project}

To be honest, I've never been a big fan of "pastel" colors which usually comes with baby themed collections. However, Stephanie has done a wonderful job of add just the right amount of bright colors to make this collection so lovable! I can't wait to use it again!

Supplies:
Baby Girl: Pretty In Pink, It's A Girl, Daddy's Girl, Cute Cuts, Borders, Chipboard Icons, Alpha+Bits, Designer Tapes: Yellow Chevron, Buttons: Red Flowers, Pink Flowers, We're Expecting: Firsts Miniature Stickers

"It's A Girl" card, by Deanna Misner.
{A Winter CHA Project}

For this fun little card, I went with a more graphic approach and featured the cute cupcake that comes with the Baby Girl Cute Cuts paper. I also trimmed a strip of the Border paper and folded it into a flag to create my sentiment.

Supplies:
Baby Girl: Baby Cakes, Cute Cuts, Borders, Snuggly Safari, Just Write Journaling Sticker

"Baby Cakes" card, by Becky Williams.
{A Winter CHA Project}

While this is a very "baby" collection the patterns and some of the elements are versatile enough to use for everyday themes as well. 

Supplies:
Baby Girl Collection: Borders, Daddy's Girl, It's a Girl, Just Write Journaling Stickers

Baby Girl Altered Paper Cake, by Suzanne Sergi.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I love creating miniature paper cakes! These are perfect as center pieces or simply as a fun seasonal accent for your kitchen. I loved the soft colors of the Baby Girl collection, and they paired beautifully rounding out this sweet altered mini cake. I created confetti frosting on top, and sprinkled it on the sides of the cake, by punching a variety of the papers!

I covered two round Kraft boxes found at my local craft store with patterned papers. On the tops I cut a circle from a coordinating paper as well. The rims are covered with white acrylic paint, and then dusted with a coarse glitter. 

To create a stand for the cake I used another top from a Kraft box, and turned it upside down.

Supplies:
Baby Girl: It's A Girl, Daddy's Girl, Pretty In Pink, Snuggly Safari, Baby Cakes, Sweet Dreams, Borders, Cute Cuts

"Baby's First Year" mini album, by Melissa Stinson.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I had a big stack of photos that I wanted to scrap from my niece's first year, so I printed them all up at 2x3 and made a mini album with them! The album is 4x6, which is a perfect size when you're using 12x12 paper as a starting point, since it's so easy to make pages right from your papers with just a couple of easy cuts.

My biggest tip for any type of mini album is to make it in stages instead of creating each page as if it's a separate layout. For example, I started this album by cutting out all the pages, then laying out all the photos, then adding extra paper and embellishment in layers, working on the same layer on all pages before moving on to the next layer. This ensures that your mini album will have a more "balanced" feeling in the end.

Supplies:
Baby Girl: It's A Girl, Daddy's Girl, Pretty In Pink, Snuggly Safari, Baby Cakes, Sweet Dreams, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures Stickers; Crochet Flowers: Juniper, Daisies; Ciao Chip: Stars & Hearts, Simply Simona White Numbers; Baby Blooms a Bella: Rossini

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Look for a special Sunday post from us, tomorrow! We have two brand new Project Sheets to share with you, that you can download and use to create quick layouts. And we will also be announcing our big winner from our Challenge Week submissions tomorrow ;)

Baby Boy Inspiration

Today and Saturday, we are going to share some more of our Winter CHA projects with you. Are you getting excited to get our new products in your hands and onto your layouts, cards, and projects? All of our new products will start shipping to stores by the end of March. We know that you are patiently (or not so patiently, if you're like me ;)) waiting, and we are patiently waiting, so that we can get them on their way to you. So hang in there just a little bit longer! Today we are focusing on the Baby Boy collection.

"My Sweet Baby Boy", by Diane Payne.
{A Winter CHA Project}

The soft colors and whimsical animal designs of the Baby Boy line were perfect for highlighting the photo of my son taking some of his first steps through the tall grass. I arranged several of the cute animals up along the side of the layout with strips of paper and tape for a fun border.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: Baby Blue, It's a Boy, On the Go, Borders, Wild About You, Momma's Boy, Heaven Sent, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Miniatures Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Sophisticates: Quattrofina Mustard & Apricot Alpha Stickers; Designer Tape: Yellow Chevron, Pickle Juice Dot; Button Market: Masculine Mix; Flags: Home Sweet Home

"Carson", by Stephanie Hunt.
{A Winter CHA Project}

My nephew has grown up so fast and is already five years old, but I couldn't help but pull some older photographs out when the Baby Boy products were finally printed! I loved how the green star pattern coordinating so perfectly with the colors in his outfit so I chose the paper first and ran with the embellishments. To make the new Designer Tapes appear more opaque than they actually I I mounted them to white cardstock first, and then tore the ends for a natural look. And, in efforts to keep all the attention on the photographs and that cute little face I scattered the borders, buttons and sticker elements along the outside edges of the page, keeping them playful and floating.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: On the Go, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Just Write Journaling Stickers; Designer Tape: Yellow Chevron, Blue Gingham; Button Market: Masculine Mix, Wood Mix, Bursts, Neutrals Mix, Checkers, Stars; Sophisticates: Blue High Fives Alphabets, Brownie chipboard alphabets

"Tiny Bundle" card, by Kimberly Neddo.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I’m really loving creating banners on cards. It’s a great design to work over the top of to create a fun look, and layer on top of. The Designer Tape makes the perfect border to add embellishments and a sentiment too.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: Borders, Wild About You, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Flags; Designer Tapes: Blue Gingham; Button Market: Blues

"Congrats" card, by Kathy Martin.
{A Winter CHA Project}

Boy oh boy! I'm really into this new Baby Boy line by Bella Blvd! There are so many adorable animals and baby icons like these little onesies! The minute I saw them I just knew they needed to be hung on a line! And there's no better background than some pretty white puffy clouds!

Supplies:
Baby Boy: Heaven Sent, Borders, Alpha+Bits Stickers

"ABC" altered baby boy blocks, by Suzanne Sergi.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I love being able to create home decor projects using beautiful scrapbook papers. The baby boy collection paired wonderfully with three wood blocks I had in my stash. I covered all sides with a variety of papers to create sweet ABC blocks. these were easy to alter, and on a couple of sides I used many of the embellishments from this collection to add a bit of dimension. These are perfect for a boy's nursery, or would make for a sweet baby shower gift.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: Icons, Miniatures, Alpha+Bits, On The Go, Momma's Boy, Borders, Heaven Sent, just Write Journaling Stickers, It's A Boy

"Baby Boy" mini album, by Brook Stewart.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I had done a mini album like this for my oldest boy and was just waiting for the perfect paper line to continue the tradition with my second little guy. Imagine my complete JOY when I found out Bella was coming out with baby collections! And of course, they were exactly what I was looking for!

I decorated the cover and the opposite inside pages with the Baby Boy papers and embellishments. I was able to use some chipboard on the front cover of course. Who can resist that super cute monkey?!

It documents just some tiny tidbits from each month, birth to 12 months. It’s a simple 4x6 chipboard album. I printed the standard 4x6 photos for one side of the page and mixed in color and black and white photos.

Now, this book is already pretty thick, so I didn’t want to use anything bulky on the inside pages. This is where the Alpha+Bits Sticker sheets and Miniatures come in super handy! There are SO many fun little sentiments, borders and cute little designs that I didn’t need anything else! They made the perfect little additions to each page.

I also used the new High Five Alphas in multiple colors to add the month number right over the bottom right hand corner of my photos.

Supplies:
Baby Boy: It’s a Boy, Baby Blue, Mommas Boy, Wild About You, On the Go, Heaven Sent, Borders, Cute Cuts, Alpha Bits, Ciao Chip Icons, Flags; Sophisticates: High Five Alphas in Yellow, Green, Blue, Black-White

Mini Album Monday

Happy Monday everyone! Today, we have a new mini album to share with you, from our Mini Album Designer, Wendy Morris. In keeping with the love theme that February is all about, Wendy has created a fun and trendy mini album, just waiting to be filled up with photos of her and her special someone.

"Let Love Rule" mini album, by Wendy Morris.

Still the month of love, so singing a few love songs & the title of the mini was inspired by the song "Let Love Rule" by Lenny Kravitz. In honor of Black History Month, he's one of my favorite musicians - stylish, modern, eclectic edginess. Be sure to check out MY BLOG for all pages in this mini.

This mini is also inspired by my "sweet love" and I will insert pictures later. So I made this mini ahead of time for the perfect moments shared and all the pictures that will be put inside when we visit each other in May.

On the ledger paper page, I wanted the feel of the "old skool" writing - remember back when we used a mix of numbers & letters for sweet notes of love and friendship. Well, this was my inspiration for this page - LV4U4EVR.

Also, on the ledger paper page, I really love the Bella Blvd paper with all the neat bubble captions, bubble phrases, and funny "blurbs" perfect for a "comic strip" type page. Further, I left space on the page for a fun/comical photo.

The border strips papers in the Bella Blvd collections have great mini hearts you can cut out to use as accents - "hey sugar", "just because".  

The computer keyboard paper is symbolic of our global connection to one another in a world - 2 continents + Skype + Internet - to stay in touch. The mini pocket will be the perfect "hide.a.way" to print out the sweet notes exchanged for safekeeping.  

The border collages are really symbolic of many things in our relationship - phone calls/chats that last for hours, funny talk, the chipboard envelopes represent our international love of sending fun love notes and sweet messages to each other throughout the day.

Supplies:
Lovey Dovey: Sweetheart, Bear Hugs, Borders N' Blocks, Alpha+Bits; Hello Beautiful: Borders N' Blocks; Flirty: Bits a Bella, Thanks a Bunch; Sweet Celebration: Party Hearty, Stardust; Christmas Wishes: Christmas Love; Midterm: Steve's Keys, Text Me; Family Dynamix: Game Night; Simply Simona Chipboard Alphs: Saltwater, McIntosh, Peep; Sophisticates: Miniatures Stickers, Ciao Chip Essentials Peep & McIntosh; Mr Boy: Just Write Journaling Stickers

A Little Bit Of Winter Wonder

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! Hopefully, some of you even lucked out and get to enjoy a three day weekend. I'm not sure about you, but I feel like spring is right around the corner. Our weather has been really nice lately, we're seeing more green in our yards, and I even switched over to flip flops a few weeks ago! So before Spring officially sneeks up on us, we have a few more Winter Wonder projects to share with you.

"I {Heart} Winter" mini album, by Brook Stewart.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I just love documenting winter photos! Last year I had quite a few from one of our first big snows, so this mini album was the perfect way to display them! I took a basic Maya Road chipboard album for the base and used the vibrant Winter Wonder collection to decorate it. The colors in this line make me so happy!! I was also able to add in some of the new Bella embellishments that really coordinated perfectly! I used several of the new Button Market buttons--those wooden snowflake buttons are super adorable! The Red Dots Designer Tape also meshes so well with this line! I added one of the fun new winter flags to the front of the album as well! Once I incorporated  all the fun details with the Alpha + Bits Sticker Sheets and Miniatures, it all came together so wonderfully!

Supplies:
Winter Wonder: Blizzard, Toasty, Ski Slopes, Icy, Border Strips, Cute Cuts, Alpha & Bits Cardstock Stickers, Miniatures, Flags; Button Market: Snowflakes, Pickle Squares, Stars; Designer Tape: Red Dots

"You Give Me The Chills" card, by Becky Williams.
{A Winter CHA Project}

This card was so quick and easy to make. All I did was cut the Borders paper into strips, adhere them to the card, added a sticker and the card was done! When you need a card in a hurry this is a great way to get one done quickly. 

Supplies:
Winter Wonder Collection: Borders, Icy, Alpha + Bits

"Happy Winter" card, by Gretchen McElveen.
{A Winter CHA Project}

I love the Winter Wonder line! I love the soft winter colors mixed with the bolder reds and dark blues. And how cute is the little snowman sticker I used here? I love it!

Supplies:
Winter Wonder: Blizzard, Alpha + Bits Stickers, Miniatures

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Next week, we have SOOOO much good stuff planned for you! We have a very special, week-long Guest Designer joining us. She will be teaming up with our Design Team, to bring you a new challenge each day, and providing you with lots and lots of inspiring projects. We also want you to join in with us as well. So get those creative juices ready, and meet us back here first thing, Monday morning!

We're Expecting - Layout & Mini Album

We hope everyone enjoyed out two week long Inspiration Unlimited feature! The past four weeks have been filled with CHA reveals, giveaways, and projects galore. And now, we're ready to get back to our normal blogging schedule. We do still have a TON of CHA projects left that we want to share with you. So expect to see them sprinkled in, along with all the new layouts our designers are working on, over the next month or two. Starting with today, as we feature two We're Expecting projects!

"Mommy To Be", by Megan Klauer.

The We're Expecting Mini Release is the perfect addition to the Baby Boy & Girls line. They mix together wonderfully. The Chipboard Icons are simply my favorites! Love the little heart & sonogram image!

Supplies:
We're Expecting: Bella Baby Bump, Coming Soon Chipboard Icons, Baby Girl: Daddy's Girl, Borders, Alpha+Bits, Flags Designer Tapes: Yellow Chevron

"Baby" mini album, by Megan Klauer.

I created the base of my album with simple 6x6 pieces of kraft cardstock which aloud me to get 4 pages out of one piece of paper. When ordering my photos from mpix.com, I ordered a few 5x5 square photos as well as a mini (set of 8) 1.75x2.5" {I split these between my cover & the layout shown above}. The rest of the photos were printed as 3.5 x 5" with a white border. I mixed a lot of the Baby Girl, Baby Boy, & of course the We're Expecting line throughout the album. The Yellow Chevron designer tape was the perfect touch to the photos on each page.

Supplies:
Baby Girl: It's A Girl, Pretty In Pink, Snuggly Safari, Borders, Sweet Dreams, Alpha+Bits, Cute Cuts, Chipboard Icons, Just Write Journaling Stickers, We're Expecting: Bella Baby Bump, Coming Soon, Chipboard Icons, First Miniature stickers, Baby Boy: Mommas Boy, Miniature Stickers, Alpha+Bits, Designer Tape: Yellow Chevron, Crochet Flowers: Dahlia, Poppy, Flags: Just Married

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We'll see you back here Monday, as we start the week with three days PACKED to the brim with Valentines/Love themed projects!

A 2012 Inspiration Mini Album

Yesterday our Mini Album Designer, Wendy Morris, shared the mini album she created about her affirmations as she head's into the New Year. Today, we have another mini album to share with you. This time we have our Local Artista, Wendy Wagner, here to share her inspirational mini album she created as she goes into 2012. Let's check out her album.

"Inspiration for 2012" mini album, by Wendy Wagner.

This book was somewhat of a challenge for me to do. Looking forward to 2012 means possibilities, but it also means taking time to reflect on the past year. 2011 was a HUGE year for me. It was the beginning of the next part of my life. Me. Living on my own, entering the 'single' world again after 15 years of marriage, being a single mom, working a job (other than one that starts with 'stay at home') and evolving into the new and improved and fabulous me!

I have done lots of changing this past year, and I can honestly say I am very pleased with the way I will be entering the new year, 2012. There is an email that arrives daily in my inbox, from The Brave Girls Club. A letter to me (or anyone that signs up for it) with a wonderful inspirational message. That is where many of the quotes in this book are from; parts of those emails. I also put in the words from my theme song from 2011 by Sarah Evans called 'A Little Bit Stronger'. 

There is a page dedicated to some of my girlfriends. Because what is life, if you don't have those friends that stand beside you, with you, or with you across many miles? I have amazing girlfriends and I am so thankful for them!  

I also included a page for my lovely daughter, who inspires me every day! She is the reason I get out of bed every day, and she is what keeps my heart happy. She, my sweet little girl, is my everything.

I finished off the book with a page dedicated to the man in my life. He has been amazing for both me and Annalise. There are lots of places left in the book for me to add little notes throughout 2012. But so far, I see so much good as I enter the New Year! Have a blessed 2012 ... and believe in yourself! xoxo

Supplies:
Family Dynamix: Alpha+Bits, Just Write journaling stickers, Ciao Chip Icons; Sophisticates: Peep, Ice, Chlorine, Oyster, Calendars; Simply Simona chipboard alphabets: Peep, Oreo; Ciao Chip Essentials: Peep & Mcintosh, Ice & Chlorine, Oyster & Oreo; Socialite: Alpha+Bits; Lovey Dovey: Alpha+Bits, Blurbs, Sweetheart; Baby Blooms A Bella: Rossini

New Year's Daily Affirmations Mini Album

Happy New Year's everyone!!! We hope you're all enjoying 2012 so far! How many of you make New Year's resolutions? Personally, I have never made any. But I know a lot of you do. So I asked our fabulous Mini Album Designer, Wendy Morris, if she could whip up a mini album based on the idea of resolutions, and hopes for the New Year. And she really out-did herself on this one! Let's check it out.

"Hello 2012" mini album, by Wendy Morris.

Hello all! Wendy here to share my daily affirmations for 2012. I don't really pledge New Year's resolutions, but mostly shoot to live by daily "affirmations" that keep me strong, confident, and motivated.  

We all need those reminders in life, right? Usually those "resolutions" get broken in a heartbeat on Jan 2nd, right? Ha! So, affirmations are the way I roll with it. With this in mind, I pulled a twist on my project for the month, in a mini book of 24 daily affirmations. Yeah, 24. Most of them I've pinned over at my Pinterest (see my board pins under "Just the Right Words"). These just steal my heart or catch my breath.  

You know when you hear "just the right words" that speak to you?  (Come on, don't make me think I'm alone and belong in a crazy nut house).  It's nice to have them all in a journal form that I can flip to for inspiration. I'm thinking you'll really like the perspective of my mini. Enjoy. And be sure to check out my blog, for more looks at my album.

Me & my vintage typewriter made a bond and I typed up a bit of these "words" that inspire me. I used random journaling stickers from Bella Blvd (see supply list below).  

Supplies:
Sunny Happy Skies: Magic in the Sky; All Inclusive: Bookin’ on the Beach; Socialite: Countdown, Borders & Blocks, RSVP; Making the Team: Wall of Fame; Spring Flings & Easter Things: A Tisket A Tasket; Christmas Wishes: Star Stripe; Flirty: High Maintenance, Bits-a-Bella; Winter Wonder: Icy; Sweet Celebration: Treats & Sweets; Sophisticates: Short Stories, Ciao Chip, Simply Simona; Tail Waggers & Cat Naps: Just Write; Christmas Wishes: Just Write